The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-01
TILGHMAN A. HOWARD.
Indiana in the Early Days-A Much-Loved
Pioneer Statesman.

Indiana in the Early Days-A Much-Loyed
Pioneer Statesman.
Correspondence Chicago News.
Over in Indiana, about two aty-fve mi'ss from
Barataria farm, lie the remains of one of the
leading pioneer statesmen Of the Northwest Ter
ritory-a man who. in the twentes and thirties,
was to Indiana. illinois, Michigan and Wlscon-
sin what Stephen A. Douglas was 80 all the
grand and glorious West-that made James e.
Polk and James Buchanan Presidents of the
United States. l mean Tlighman Ashurst
Howard.
There are three families of Towards in the
country, two Irish and one English. One Irish
family emierated and populated Massachusetts
Bay and New England. the other settled in
South Carolina and spread thence through the
South and Southwest. From the former family
descended Jacob NJ. Howard, late Senator from
Michigan, Gen. O. O. Howard, William A.
Howard, OK -Congressman from Detroit, and q
multitude of other Towards more or less known
to fame. The other Irish family were the pro-
genitors of Tilehman A Howard, the subject Of
this letter. The English family came over with
Lord Baltimore and populated Maryland. Vir-
GINA and Kentucky. and has been somewhat
clannish spreading but little beyond the three
States named.
Tilehman A. Howard was born in Pickensville,
S. c., Nov. Ia, 1897. His father was a revou-
tionary soldier and q Baptist preacher. The
sire was poor. but patriotic. and dying. all he
left his son was ambition to make his way
through the world The boy went with Ills
where he remained until he was nineteen. Then,
with very limited education, ne taught school
in Tennessee and read law with Hugh Lawson
White, an eminent lawyer for that day. AS an
attorney he was q failure, but as q politician q
success He was State Senator and, in 1928.
q jackson elector from Tennessee. In 1880
he went to Indiana. In 1882,
through the personal influence Of Andrew Jack
son. Mr.. Howard was appointed United States
district attorney ard served for seven years.
In 1889 he was elected to Congress. With
wavering success and perfect trust be controlled
the policy Of the Democratic party in Indiana
and the then far West until 1874 when Presi
dent TYLER appointed him minister to the repub-
lie of Texas. He reached Washington. Tex. on
the first day of July, 1914, and il fifteen days
died from yellow fever
But the people of Indiana would not allow
their great leader remain in that far-off land.
So in 1847, by act of the General Assembly,
Gen. Joe Lane was directed to disinter and
move the remains his home at Rockville, as
l said, only twenty-five miles from Barataria
farm. Tighman A. Howard, like hundreds of
other men of national fame. was the product of
a free country-a selfmade. self-educated citi-
served by his widow, still living at the remark
able and pioneer age of eighty, are models of
careful thought and scholarly appositeness; l
mean copies Of letters he wrote the mauy promi-
nent men of his day.
Mr.. Howard was Democrat but never pro-
slavery advocate; he was Christian. but never
a church mem ber he was orator by nature,
a reader from necessity: a scholar without train
ing. Over on the Wabash, in Parke county, one
A. Howard to have every pioneer open his arms
in love and affectionate remembrance write
this brief sketch at the suggestion OF Daniel w.
Voorhees,, Senator from Indiana, who tells me
his first incentive to political ambition was the
reading of one of Mr. Towards orations.